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Why Cats Love Shoving Their Butts In Your Face

Ahh, there's nothing quite like that special moment when your cherished feline friend decides to come in for a snuggle. But while time spent petting a sweet, purring kitty is always time well spent, there is one rather unseemly aspect of cat cuddling that's not oft-discussed:

Their unusual insistence on giving us a face full of their butts. (You know what I'm talking about.)

Getting that unobstructed, up-close look at the final stop of your cat's digestive tract might not seem like such an awesome thing, but, as it turns out, you should actually be flattered.

According to cat expert Amy Shojai, who has authored numerous books on pet behavior, kitties raise their tails as a sign of friendliness and trust, granting full access to all of the intimate, olfactory details about them found in their scent. Turning around makes that invitation even clearer.

Shojai writes that cats' butt presentations are, in reality, a complimentary show of love - likening it to "a human's enthusiastic hug or a kiss on each cheek in greeting."

How, err, sweet! So, the next time you get a face full of cat butt, don't be so quick to shudder or gag. (Still, we can't recommend going in for a sniff.)